Welcome From the Head

In 1942, Frances Kilmer, daughter of Impressionist painter Frederick Frieseke, and Kenton Kilmer, son of poet Joyce Kilmer, decided that, due to their desire to provide their children with an enriched curriculum that included the best in literature and the arts, a global exposure to history, and a commitment to citizenship and character, they would start their own school. Thus Green Hedges was born. Originally located in the living room of the Kilmer's Arlington home, the School has since moved to its current location on Windover Avenue in Vienna and expanded from the original ten students to close to two hundred. But while the location and the size of the School have changed, the founding principles and the comprehensive academic program the Kilmers envisioned continue to define the educational experience we provide our children.

Two timeless quotes from our founders capture the essence of a Green Hedges education. Kenton Kilmer remarked that "education should open the doors of a child's mind to the delight of the unknown, the strange, the antique, the foreign, the new…it should open the doors of the soul." Frances Kilmer added that "the children graduating from Green Hedges would meet adulthood with the excitement of a worthy challenge, fully enlightened idealism, the innocence of childhood, and the courage of real wisdom."

In an era of constantly changing educational slogans, Green Hedges remains true to its original mission: to provide a school experience that emphasizes core academic subjects, foreign languages, art, drama, music, and physical education, and supports the healthy intellectual, social, and emotional growth of our students.

We welcome your interest in Green Hedges and hope that you will come and see our campus in action, as this, more than any words or pictures we can share, most accurately presents the current embodiment of our founding principles.

Sincerely,

Frederick W. Williams
Head of School